Sweet (20)16 Coming Out Party!

Did you ever have a Sweet Sixteen “Coming Out” Party? I never did. Both my daughters were Bas Mitzvah’d — which entailed huge parties for families and friends.  In the Jewish tradition, the event signifies the transition of a child becoming an adult at age thirteen.  I remember also attending a Christian friend’s Sweet Sixteen party for their daughter.  The family made a similarly mammoth gathering, presenting a pair of high heels ceremoniously to their daughter who had now become a full-fledged woman upon reaching the age of sixteen. So why would I be viewing this year of 2016 at …

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Creative Synergy

What we do for love . . . (A Chorus Line, music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban).  I cry every time I hear that song — and I never even did the show! My husband and I lived the show (“Al” and “Kristine”).  We continue, 30+ years later, to live for the high that comes when the passionate creativity of artists — writers, directors, actors, scenic designers, lighting designers, visionary producers — come together to create an evening of theater.  Sprinkle in a receptive audience and everyone experiences magic.  That happened last night. My girlfriend, Joanne Dorian, was …

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Finding Your Ikigai

  Ikigai: Something one lives for;  purpose in life Dharma:  Duty Over the past seven years, I’ve been teaching a weekly “Mind/Body/Spirit” class at the Jewish Guild for the Blind.  This is the organization I was originally introduced to by our theatrical union, AFTRA (prior to SAG-AFTRA merger), which gave their membership the ability to learn broadcasting skills as a volunteer reader for the visually-impaired at InTouch Networks supported and housed for 30 years at The Guild.  Shortly after I came on board in 2008, however, the Guild stopped funding, closing down the 5 soundproof studios used daily by a rotating …

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Balance, Rhythm, Power

“First comes thought; then organization of that thought into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.”         Napoleon Hill    “They are all discoverers that think there is no land when they can see nothing but sea.”   Francis Bacon    “The Possible’s slow fuse is lit by the imagination.”  Emily Dickinson      Why can’t we imagine having it all?  We can.  Just not all at the same time.    How does Meryl Streep do it?  Well, I did notice she chose to make some really …

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Dancer Discipline

The 2015 Stars & Strikes for Autism bowling event raised $14,000 and I surprisingly got my groove back!  Each strike elicited squeals from not only me, but from the fans who actually still remember all of us and were lined up watching.  The event, spearheaded by Jerry VerDorn and Liz Keifer, also served as a reunion for my Guiding Light peers, many of whom I didn’t even have story with, however, because we shared the same studio, the same “stardust,” they are and will forever be, my friends for life. Amazing the power of television.  Real life vs reel life.  Focus …

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